Audio By Carbonatix
Snoop Dogg with Johnny Ringo & the Hustle Boyz Better than:
House of Blues
May 5, 2009
Four words: This show was packed.
Usually, you find scalpers trying to sell tickets outside of venues. Not here. Guys were zipping around trying to buy extras.
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As expected, the scene was thick with the K104 and 97.9 the Beat set. However, there was a light sprinkling of non-hip hoppers, young and old, truly proving that the Snoop D-O-Double Gizzle is universal.
Things kicked off more than a half hour late, but Johnny Ringo was met with a warm welcome as he shouted out Duncanville. My cohort for the night and I struggled to catch his lyrics, since his sound got distorted toward the rear of the room. But we came to the conclusion that his flow was tight and he performed like someone truly hungry to get into the game. The gruff-voiced dancehall chanter who made an appearance during Ringo’s set, however, was completely rejected and booed as he prattled off an unintelligible a capella.
Getting restless, the audience showed little interest in the Hustle Boyz. Although they didn’t get booed, there was nothing remotely compelling about them prowling the stage in their precariously situated, sagging pants.
Finally, at 11 p.m., “The Next Episode” marked Snoop’s arrival.
The room absolutely exploded as Snoop strode onto the stage in a Tony Dorsett Dallas Cowboys jersey, fully loc’d out with a stocking cap, shades and a bejeweled mic. The best thing about Snoop’s set is that he mixed up the eras: He went from “Gin & Juice” (with roadies spraying champagne into the audience) to “Down for My N****s,” to “I Wanna Love You.”
The suburban chicks Crip-walking to “That’s That Shit” was a sight to see, as were the waves of middle fingers rippling across the room to “Deep Cover.” Snoop brought along Daz and Kurupt to help him out with “How Do You Want It” and “It Ain’t No Fun.” (I nearly didn’t recognize Kurupt–and it took Daz in his name-emblazoned jersey to put it all together.)
But it was definitely a good day to see the DPGZ (Dogg Pound Gangstas) back together; and there was no rest for the crowd during this show of non-stop-gangsta-sheeit.
Critic’s Notebook
Personal bias: I know almost all the words to the entire Doggystyle album.
Random note: For as packed as it was, no one I knew attended the show. Their loss.
By the way: No matter how high the HOB cranked their A?C unit, there was no diluting the smell of weed smoke.
